Flood insurance in Alabama: cost by ZIP code and county
Alabama has 23,377 single-family flood policies; on July 31, 2026 their median bill was $1,227, and most of them are in the two Gulf counties, Baldwin and Mobile.
Median single-family flood bill, Alabama
$1,227
23,377 policies in force on July 31, 2026, premium and fees included.
| Median full-risk price, same policies | $1,835 |
| Policies still below their full-risk price | 58 % |
| Median paid in August 2023 | $825 |
| Increase left from the median | 3 renewals at 18 % |
| Next five bills, added up | $8,620 |
| Median claim paid, 2016 to 2025 (3,537 claims) | $13,197 |
Compiled by Radif Partners · Where the numbers come from · 307 ZIP codes and 61 counties of Alabama in FEMA's tables · not a quote
For a single-family home in Alabama, the median federal flood policy cost $1,227 a year on July 31, 2026, counting the premium, the Reserve Fund Assessment, the HFIAA surcharge and the Federal Policy Fee. Only 23,377 homes carry one, and 55 % of them are in the two Gulf counties, Baldwin and Mobile. That concentration sets the state's price level and its direction. Baldwin's median bill was $1,269 and Mobile's $1,267, while their full-risk medians were $2,228 and $2,243. Statewide, 58 % of policies still pay less than their full-risk premium, and the median full-risk bill is $1,835, so yearly increases continue for most owners near the coast. One storm dominates the claims record: Hurricane Sally in 2020 accounts for 59 % of all paid single-family claims from 2016 to 2025.
A short coast holds most of the policies
Baldwin and Mobile, the two counties on the Gulf, hold 12,890 of the state's single-family flood policies. Inland, coverage is thin: Madison County, which includes Huntsville, is third with 2,768, and Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, has 1,095.
FEMA's 2023 exposure table shows the coastal pull. It rated 47 % of Alabama's single-family policies as exposed to storm surge and 17 % to coastal erosion (2.1 times the national share). Census Bureau place records put the cities of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach in Baldwin County and the town of Dauphin Island in Mobile County.
Compare a bill with the Alabama medians
Single-family flood policies in Alabama
$1,227
| Median full-risk price, same policies | $1,835 |
| Still below their full-risk price | 58 % |
| Median paid in August 2023 | $825 |
| Gap left from the bill entered | 3 renewals at 18 % |
Sally, Zeta and the claim record
Hurricane Sally made landfall on the coast of Alabama in 2020, according to the National Hurricane Center report, and produced 2,091 paid single-family claims for $93,341,855. Hurricane Zeta, which came ashore in southeastern Louisiana six weeks later, added 150 more. Baldwin County alone recorded 2,158 paid claims over the decade, at a median of $14,339.
The split by zone is unusual. Claims rated in V zones, the coastal high hazard areas, had a median payment of only $5,392, while those in X zones reached $21,438, above the $15,262 of A zones. The claim records do not say why, so these medians describe past payments, not the damage a given house would suffer.
Price by zone today
The 14,616 A zone policies had a median bill of $1,303 on July 31, 2026, the 1,882 V zone policies $1,574, and the 6,879 X zone policies $1,071. On the coast, the climb is not over. Starting from the Baldwin County median and moving toward its full-risk median at the 18 % cap for a main home, a policy needs 4 more renewals of increases. A beach rental or second home climbs at 25 % a year and gets there sooner, at a higher price each year along the way.
Shelby County, which holds part of Birmingham, stands out inland, with a median paid claim of $38,000.
Lauderdale County had the widest gap in FEMA's 2023 table, $798 paid against a full-risk median of $2,536. The rate increase guide shows how such a gap closes, one capped renewal at a time.
The Alabama counties with the most policies
| County | Policies | Median bill | Full-risk median | Still below full risk | Renewals left at 18 % | Median bill, August 2023 | Median claim 2016-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baldwin County | 7,694 | $1,269 | $2,228 | 64 % | 4 | $854 | $14,339 |
| Mobile County | 5,196 | $1,267 | $2,243 | 68 % | 4 | $853 | $7,819 |
| Madison County | 2,768 | $1,100 | $1,412 | 50 % | 2 | $799 | $11,716 |
| Jefferson County | 1,095 | $1,183 | $1,391 | 35 % | 2 | $880 | $14,161 |
| Montgomery County | 694 | $1,068 | $1,174 | 47 % | 1 | $769 | $13,063 |
| Tuscaloosa County | 491 | $1,187 | $1,444 | 47 % | 2 | $842 | $16,719 |
| Shelby County | 478 | $1,265 | $1,923 | 59 % | 3 | $884 | $38,000 |
| Morgan County | 405 | $1,086 | $1,329 | 51 % | 2 | $780 | $12,332 |
Full-risk prices of Alabama homes, band by band
| Full risk-based price a year | Policies | Share | Median rebuild value |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 to $1,000 | 6,426 | 23.0 % | $356,288 |
| $1,000 to $2,000 | 9,942 | 35.6 % | $357,969 |
| $2,000 to $3,000 | 5,593 | 20.0 % | $374,122 |
| $3,000 to $4,000 | 2,874 | 10.3 % | $405,850 |
| $4,000 to $5,000 | 1,515 | 5.4 % | $436,192 |
| $5,000 or more | 1,557 | 5.6 % |
The floods that paid the most Alabama claims since 2016
| Event (FEMA name) | Year | Paid claims | Paid in total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Sally | 2020 | 2,091 | $93,341,855 |
| Hurricane Zeta | 2020 | 150 | $2,523,509 |
| Central U.S. April Flooding | 2025 | 38 | $2,033,064 |